Second Place
by leogirl321
Summary: Second place just wouldn't do it for her. Disclaimer: I own nothing, especially not Kuroko no Basuke. Note: This story is also available on Quotev under the name Hoshi. Both are my accounts.
1. Chapter 1

So here's the long awaited Akashi story that's been knocking around in my head! I thank anyone who comments and supports me. :)

Enjoy~

1st - Akashi Seijuro (100)

2nd - Kono Kotone (98)

Second place. Again.

The brunette grit her teeth as she glared up at the class rankings board. They had just taken the first math test of the year and once again she was behind that same person.

Akashi Seijuro.

President of the student council. Captain of the basketball team. Local prodigy and extraordinaire.

And she couldn't stand him. How could she possible get along someone so perfect?! Before she had entered Rakuzan High School and subsequently encountered him, she had been the star of her class, academics wise at least. Now all she amounted to was 'that girl that's always right behind Akashi Seijuro'.

Well not anymore. "I will find a way to ruin you, Akashi Seijuro. I swear it!" She huffed and turned on her heel heading back to the classroom.

~x~

"Akashi-san, will you please come up to the board and complete this math problem?"

Kotone tried to push down the small stitch of irritation she felt as the redhead gracefully made his way up to the board and completed the problem perfectly. As expected, he never failed at anything he attempted. Not this math problem and not anything else either.

"Good work as always, Akashi-san."

The brunette grumbled a little under her breath. "Of course, Akashi-san always gets the right answer."

Little did she know Akashi's gaze moved sharply to zero in on her.

~x~

"Okay class, we're going to be starting a new project..."

Kotone spaced out as Yamato-sensei continued to drone on and on about the new project they were starting. Honestly who even cares about Japanese history anyway? It's the same old thing every time you study it and it's so boring. Plus, she didn't really have any people in this class that she liked that much (well, besides her longtime friend, Kimura Asagi, but she'd been the first to get a partner) so even with the teacher doling out partners she was still likely to get some good-for-nothing who had no idea what they were doing-

"Akashi-san and Kono-san..."

Kotone froze in her seat, her jaw slack and a petrified look on her face.

Did she hear that right?

"E-excuse me, sensei, but who did you say I was partnering with?"

Yamato-sensei lazily scanned down his list before looking up and meeting her horrified gaze. "Akashi-san."

It was all Kotone could do to swallow and nod weakly, her horrified look changing instead to a vaguely desolate expression instead. Of all people in the class, it had to be the one she least wanted to partner with?

"Kono Kotone." Kotone turned to see the red headed devil himself standing in front of her an impassive look on his face. "Come. Let's start."

He turned and walked away towards the back of the class where his seat was. Kotone just glared holes in his back before realizing that Yamato-sensei had entrusted him with the packet for the project so sitting here glaring at him wasn't really an option. And so she got up and slunk dejectedly over to his desk.

As he turned the packet to the correct page Kotone proceeded to study him warily. He didn't seem to notice or mind, one of the two, as he quietly scanned the page.

"So, um, what does this project entail?" Kotone smiled weakly as she attempted to break the silence. He didn't even seem to stir to hear her question as he continued to ruffle through the packet.

Was he ignoring her?!

Kotone started to get a little irritated now. She didn't even like him and she was still trying to make the effort to talk to the guy. It was only polite that he respond, "Oi, Akashi-san, I asked you a question-"

"Silence." His heterochromatic gaze met her chocolate orbs and she flinched back at the authority in his tone. Not only was his tone but his eyes were icy as they stared back into her own, chilling her into silence.

He directed his gaze back down at the packet while she pulled herself together; she was now stunned by his audacity. Still, she couldn't seem to get any words out after his command. Despite her anger, she still instinctively felt that openly defying him would be bad news.

Before she could finally muster the courage to talk back, he looked back up impassively, "We are to write our own individual essays on the Feudal and Edo period and then a collaborative comparative essay on them. Then we will complete this packet and present our findings on a topic in each of the periods. Seeing as we have two minutes remaining for this portion of class time, we will discuss the comparison essay later on. After basketball practice concludes we will meet outside the gym."

With that, he arranged the papers in a neat stack and then slipped them into his bag. Just as Kotone was about to utter a protest, the teacher called everyone back to their desks.

Her cheeks slightly flushed with anger and humiliation at how he so easily shut her down, she slid back into her seat. It would suffice to say, she was _not_ excited for basketball practice.


	2. Chapter 2

So first and foremost I wanted to respond to a guest review. As everyone knows, guest reviews can be abrasive and often downright abusive. This is one was slightly on the abrasive side.

So first off. Most OC's freeze up in front of Akashi because that's what most people do. If someone as intense as Akashi corners you like that and you know you are at fault, anyone would freeze. It would be unrealistic for me to make Kotone brush him off because that's just not her character. Hell, even Kagami froze up when Akashi actually confronted him. It's not unrealistic at all.

Second, no offense intended with this but, I don't really care what kind of girl you think looks better with Akashi. You can always write your own story with your own OC and make it as perfect as you want it to be. But this is my story and I'm not altering my original character to make it fit anybody's expectations. I think Kotone is a fun character to write and so I intend to make her how I imagine her to be. Also, this might not have been clear enough but Kotone isn't a pushover nor is she dumb. She DOES have high intelligence, enough to come second in her class. I think if those are your requirements you might have to search for another story…sorry. :( My OC will be written as I imagine she needs to be.

However, I will thank you for saying my story is great and that you will be reading. But if it's not up to par, you don't have to try to change my OC, I wouldn't be mad at you if you didn't read if it doesn't catch you attention, okay?

Also, if anyone has any critiques I hope you can leave them with your name on them instead of coming as a guest to leave critique/comments. I want to be able to interact with my readers and actually have a discussion about the story. I don't like to respond to comments in the actual chapter so I will say from here on out I just won't look at guest reviews anymore. If you have something you want to suggest then you can leave a signed comment (as in a comment with you logged in).

And thanks to anyone who read that. I hope you guys enjoy the second chapter! :) Sorry, it's short and a bit uneventful, but it will pick up, no worries!

~x~

"Asa-chan, isn't that so rude? Can you believe he just told me to be silent?! What goes on in that arrogant head of his?!"

"Kotone-chan, maybe you should lower your voice."

Kotone shot a dirty look at her childhood friend. She had her eyes glued to the screen of her game console as she played some sort of weird otome game. Typical of her stoic friend.

"Asa-chan, are you even listening to me?!" She snapped, smacking her hand on the table in an attempt to get the gamer's attention.

"Hai, hai. You're angry because Akashi-san explained the English project to you."

"No!" Kotone angrily stabbed an eggroll in her bento with her chopstick, "It's not that he explained the project, it's the fact that he was so rude about it! I spaced out a little bit while the teacher was giving directions, there's no reason to be so mean about reiterating!"

"Ah. I see." Asagi nodded solemnly, blatantly ignoring her friend's complaints.

"What makes him so much better than me anyway?! Just because he has a better ranking than me doesn't mean he can look down on me. Next time I'll win for sure. He's not so great. I'll wipe the floor with his pompous-"

"Kotone-chan."

"What?!" She snapped agitatedly.

"Akashi-san is sitting behind us."

She froze immediately before creakily turning her head to see a familiar pair of heterochromatic eyes looking directly at her. For a second, time stopped and her blood seemed to run cold. To the uninformed observer, Akashi was simply looking at her. However, there was an unmistakeable iciness under that gaze that told her he had heard everything she said.

She whipped back around and lowered her head to her desk futilely trying to disguise her reddening face. She was such an idiot!

"I'm so beyond screwed..." She moaned to herself, "So, so, so, so screwed..."

~x~

Akashi Seijuro wasn't pleased.

He was intently studying the loud-mouthed female across from him. She was whining to that otaku friend of hers about how terrible and unfair he was for demanding that she be silent.

Impudence. The one thing Akashi could not tolerate.

He narrowed his eyes at her just as she turned and looked towards him. She eyes widened in shock before she averted her gaze and turned back to her previous position. He watched as she lowered her head to the table and fell quiet.

The edges of his lips turned up in a cold smile. He continued to study her for a bit as he ate his bento quietly.

Kono Kotone. The name was not unfamiliar. She was always just behind him in the bulletin board postings. He supposed she held some bitterness towards him because of it.

But it didn't particularly bother him. The pettiness of people below him did not bother him. What did matter was correcting her disobedience which would be done in time. Sooner rather than later.

~x~

"Asa-chan, you have to help me~"

"Eh? Why?" Her companion didn't even seem to notice that she was nearly in tears at the prospect of another confrontation with Akashi Seijuro.

"I'm scared!" She was nearly shrieking now, "What do I do if he brings up what I said today?! He had to have heard it. What if he gets angry?"

"Any reasonable person would get angry, Kotone-chan." Asagi continued packing her bag to get ready to go home. "It's your own fault for saying all that just because you thought he was gone."

"I didn't mean it~" She whined in response as she clung to her friend's arm. "Please, Asa-chan!"

"Don't care." Asagi deadpan bed as she slung her backpack onto her shoulder and unceremoniously shook her friend off. "Good luck, Kotone-chan. Just remember you brought this upon yourself."

Kotone's jaw dropped as her friend walked out of the classroom. "Stupid Asa-chan! Idiot! Monster! Uncaring brat!"

But her friend (could she even say that?) wasn't in earshot because she didn't reply. She dropped her head dramatically into her hands. "What do I do...?"

Should she even bother coming to basketball practice? If she did Akashi would murder her but if she didn't then he'd murder her tomorrow for missing practice. There was no way out.

To practice she goes.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of squeaking sneakers and the lingering smell of rubber were good indications that Kotone was nearing Rakuzan's stellar athletic facility and also her impending doom.

Hesitantly, she opened the heavy double doors and peeked into the gym wondering if basketball practice was in session yet. Surprisingly, she didn't catch a glimpse of the red haired tyrant. It appeared they were just starting practice, since the first years were doing some laps around the court.

"But where's Akashi-san? Hm…maybe the arrogant prick is playing hooky." She wondered aloud before brusquely snorting to herself, "He's skipping his own club. Ha."

"Kono Kotone."

She almost choked on her saliva, she was so startled by the voice. Slowly, she forced herself to turn around and look into the mismatched gaze of Rakuzan's basketball team's captain.

"Uh...ah. Hello, Akashi-san..." She nervously waved and tried to backtrack, "I'm a bit early, aren't I? We were supposed to meet after practice, right? Gomen, I'll come back when you finish..."

She hastily tried to sidestep him and make a quick retreat down the hall but Akashi was not having it. His hand shot out latching onto her shoulder. He stepped forward and quite roughly shoved her into the wall next to the gym door.

She was more than surprised, in fact she was in shock at how fast it had all happened. There was an unbearably heavy silence as she stood there looking into his heterochromatic eyes. She felt a shiver run down her spine when she saw the cold cruelty in his gaze.

He was the very emulation of displeasure.

"I will not tolerate disobedience from those below me." His voice was icy and his words piercing. Kotone felt herself shrink under the sheer authority of his tone not to mention the way he seemed to loom over her even though somewhere in the back of her mind she recognized that they were about the same height, she may have even had an inch on him.

Somehow, even without him changing his expression, Kotone's blood ran cold and she had to avert her gaze from his as he said his next words. "Know your place."

He stepped away from her and whisked through the gymnasium doors. The doors made a quiet click and Kotone was alone.

Shakily, she lowered herself down onto the floor and leaned heavily against the wall as she tried to pull herself back together.

"What happened...?" She murmured quietly. She knew Akashi was rumored to be quite intense but she didn't think his scolding would have that sort of effect on her. That presence was no ordinary intimidation.

She was broken from her thoughts when a light weight settled on her shoulder. Her gaze snapped up to meet concerned gray-blue orbs.

"Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?" She didn't answer. Instead, she studied his form. Chin-length black hair, and a pretty face. Also, he was tall. Super tall, as in basketball tall. He was wearing the Rakuzan regular uniform which told her he must have some relation to Akashi. And right now, that was the last thing she needed.

"Can you stand?" He spoke again and she realized she had been staring. She quickly nodded her head and pulled herself to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She mumbled bitterly. Her pride was bruised and she was shaken but she was fine.

"Ah. Were you waiting for someone?"

She shouldered her bag and glared out the window. Was she still waiting for him? The teacher would probably put the packet online. It wouldn't be a hard task to just do it herself. She was smart after all. And after her last encounter with Akashi she didn't feel like seeing his face again.

"You seem upset. Are you sure you're okay...?" Kotone finally snapped back to attention when the pretty boy placed a worried hand on her shoulder. Well, she had been pretty much ignoring him for the last few seconds. She'd be worried too.

"Yeah. Just a little burned out. I'll be okay." She looked up and tried to smile but it more likely looked like a grimace. "I'm taking my leave."

Before he could say anything else, she turned around and stomped down the hallway mumbling obscenities to herself.

He stared after her for a second, "I wonder if she's really okay..." He murmured before shrugging and pushing the gym doors open. He had to get to practice after all.

-

"Oi, Sei-chan."

Akashi turned to see the familiar tall-haired boy walking towards him, a look of concern on his face.

"What is it, Reo?" Akashi turned back to the hoop, easily throwing the ball in with a quiet swish. He got back into position to repeat the action.

"Did you know that girl out in the hall? She looked like she was waiting for someone..."

"Yes, Kono Kotone. I will meet with her after practice." Akashi threw another ball in from the free throw line, producing another swish that signaled he hit nothing but net.

He picked up another and readied to shoot when Reo started talking again.

"Ah, well, she just left."

Akashi paused for an almost imperceivable moment, but still he paused, before releasing the ball straight into the net, listening for the satisfying swish. "I'll rectify the situation tomorrow."

"Hmm, hai." Reo's lips tugged upward a little in amusement. It seems Kono Kotone was quite fearless to blatantly disobey the red tyrant.

"Start practice, Reo."

"Hai~"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Kotone hopped off the train and made her way home she began to get a little scared.

Initially, her anger and humiliation was fueling her decision to just leave practice but now that she'd calmed down a little she started to get a little worried about the consequences of her actions. If Akashi had gotten angry, he would surely lose it tomorrow. At least she thought he would. She honestly had no idea what to expect with the red head.

She groaned, and smacked a palm into her forehead, "I need a break…"

She decided to take a quick little detour and eat before she got home. She walked until she got to a convenience store so she could pick up some pocky and chips. She paid the cashier and quickly took her exit.

"Hm…I guess I might as well get dinner too since I'm buying all this junk…" Kotone hummed, a little cheered up by the prospects of eating out.

She glanced up and saw a fast food joint she didn't recognize. Maji Burger…well it didn't seem particularly appealing but she always did like trying out new places and she had never even noticed this one before. It was worth a shot.

She pushed open the doors and briskly walked through but was quickly stopped when she ran into someone. Hard.

"Ow…" She rubbed her nose in irritation and stumbled back a little.

"Ah. Gomen." She frowned and looked up to see a very tall male with red hair. Not only did he look kind of intimidating, he didn't looking not-the-slightest-bit-sorry.

Red hair. Unapologetic. Ugh.

It was unfair but instantly she was irked. The bad day she had just had didn't help her irritation either. "Whatever…" She mumbled before shoving past him to get to the register.

From behind her she heard the male mumble, "Geez, what's her problem? I said sorry…"

She whipped around prepared to snap back at him but the bell sounded signaling that he had already left the establishment.

She just growled to herself and turned back towards the front of the store. She'd let it go. There was no point chasing the boy down, he obviously had been raised in a barn and had no manners anyway. Instead, she'd enjoy her meal and then go home and hope this day would end sooner or later. It's not like she'd ever see him again anyway, right?

She just growled to herself and turned back towards the front of the store. She'd let it go. There was no point chasing the boy down, he obviously had been raised in a barn and had no manners anyway. Instead, she'd enjoy her meal and then go home and hope this day would end sooner or later. It's not like she'd ever see him again anyway, right?


	4. Chapter 4

Kotone sighed to herself as she headed down the hall to the gymnasium. Normally the sound of the last bell would elicit a sigh of happiness and maybe even a skip down the hall in elation, but today all she could feel was nervousness. She was going to have to actually work on the project with Akashi today.

Granted, she wasn't as nervous as the first day, since their last conversation actually had some semblance of civility. However, she was still wary of the way he seemed to just switch every time she talked to him. Maybe he was bipolar or something.

No, Akashi Seijuro had no imperfections, he was as close to perfection as a student could get. Though maybe his arrogance could be counted as a flaw. But he did usually have the bite to back up his bark so was it really a flaw...?

Whatever, point was she was not looking forward to this.

"Well, it's now or never..." She murmured as she saw the gym doors come into sight. "But should I wait inside or should I stay out here…?"

She looked around the empty hallway nervously until she decided she was just going to go in. She was going to have to see him sooner or later, and maybe watching basketball practice would keep her from getting bored, right? All she had to do was push the doors open and walk in. No big deal. But still she found her palms sweating and her heart pounding.

God, she was a wimp.

Just as she was about to push open the doors, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She squeaked, quite loudly and embarrassingly, and jumped about a foot in the air. Turning, she saw it was the same guy she met in the hallway yesterday.

"Hello, Kono-san~!" He smiled mirth gleaming in his eyes. Probably because she just squeaked like a six-year-old girl. Ugh.

"Oh, hi…" She waved weakly and attempted (emphasis on attempted) a casual laugh. "You're the one from yesterday…"

"Hai. Mibuchi Reo." He bowed his head a little, his eyes flicking from her to the gym doors and then back to her, "Are you waiting for Sei-chan again today?"

"Uh...Sei-chan…?" Kotone stared back up at him blankly for a second. Akashi Seijuro. That must be who he was referring to. "Oh, did you mean Akashi-san? Yeah, we have a project to work on…is it okay for me to wait in the gym or do I have to stay in the hall?"

"Of course you can come in. Go ahead~" Reo smiled and ushered her in through the doors.

Once she was in Kotone was surprised to see there were already a few people practicing layups on the court. School had ended something like five minutes ago, and they were already starting practice up. Sweet Jesus, they were dedicated.

She hesitantly made her way to the bleachers and sat, surveying the practice. She noticed pretty quickly that there were three particularly good players - they never missed a single layup and the other players seemed to give them a wide berth. A big, burly guy who was constantly bellowing about muscles, a blond who always seemed to have a mischievous grin, and Mibuchi Reo (much to her surprise, he didn't seem like the type who'd be interested in a physical sport like basketball).

And then she saw him. Akashi Seijuro in the flesh and blood.

He pushed open the double doors from the locker room and walked in, his narrowed eyes did a scan of the room as all the players fell into line in front of him. Kotone was a little surprised of how conditioned they seemed to be in his presence. She knew Akashi was the basketball team captain but she didn't think it was possible for a first year like her to garner so much respect from the upperclassmen as well.

Kotone crossed her arms and sighed, leaning back against the bleached behind her. The more she observed him, the more she realized he was a pretty amazing. Everything he did seemed to be perfect. It was actually starting to make her feel a little hopeless. She was never going to get the top score it seemed.

Maybe he had some sort of weakness she could exploit. He had to have one. There was no way someone so flawlessly invulnerable could exist. She refused to believe it. There had to be something...

She narrowed her eyes on the back of his head, inwardly wondering what Akashi Seijuro's Achilles heel could be. Maybe if she stared long enough, she could burn a hole into his head and find his weakness.

Right, that would work.

Almost as if he sensed her tactic, he turned around making direct eye contact with her. She jumped a little before averting her gaze instantly.

Damn it, Akashi. It could've worked too.

She did her best to avoid staring at him too long until practice finally ended. Akashi went into the locker rooms to change out of his practice clothes. She figured she would pull out her copy of the packet and work on that while she waited.

"Come." She glanced up seeing that Akashi had left the locker room and was already making his way towards the gym doors. Quickly, she scrambled to grab her items into her arms and tried not to trip as she followed him out of the gym.

"..." They walked in an awkward silence to wherever it was Akashi was planning to take her to work on the stuff. Well, at least _she_ thought it was awkward. She had no idea what he was thinking. Though it wasn't like she ever did so no change there.

Finally, they came to a stop in front of one of the hallway doors. Akashi unlocked it and quietly she stepped into the classroom.

The door shut with a muted click and suddenly a deafening silence seemed to fall on the room. Kotone shifted uneasily, doing her best to look at anything besides him. The tension seemed so thick a knife could cut it. After all, last time he was alone with her he had shoved her into a wall and belittled her. So this time she was keeping her guard up.

There was a scraping sound and a small thud. Kotone looked up to see Akashi sitting at the nearest desk, meticulously sliding the history packet out of his bag. Hesitantly, she sat across from him and set down her own stuff.

In the tense silence Kotone decided to look around the classroom. Obviously this was a room that she had never been in before.

Eventually she decided to speak if only because the silence was starting to freak her out a little, "What is this room used for?"

He didn't even look up when he answered but honestly it didn't bother her all that much. "This is the clubroom."

"Eh? You're in a club?"

"No." Kotone waited for more elaboration but when it was clear that that was all she was going to get she just shrugged and took out her history packet and opened up to the page he was currently scanning.

"Do this half of the essay questions then I will check our answers."

Kotone nodded, pushing down the small part of her that felt slightly annoyed that he didn't trust her academic capability enough to not check her answers. She settled for grumbling under her breath before getting to work.

~x~

After about forty-five minutes of working in a concentrated almost trance-like state, Kotone was surprised when the silence was finally broken.

"Let me see your answers."

She blinked for a second, her eyes sliding down to look at his paper. Each space under the questions on his page where neatly filled out. Her heart sunk as she glanced at her page. Granted, she only had one question left but it still felt like she lost to Akashi. Again.

Stifling her grumbles, she passed him her page and waited as his eyes quickly scanned over all her answers.

"You didn't do the last problem."

Kotone glanced up warily before begrudgingly admitting her incompetence, "Yeah...I didn't have time to finish it…"

He just stared back at her for a long minute while she shifted under his gaze. Finally, his eyes wandered back to the paper. "The other answers are good. Finish it when you get home."

"Oh, uh, sure…" She was taken aback by the fact that he hadn't made a single slight at her work. She was at least expecting him to give her a disapproving look but he was taking it well.

"Then, I will see you tomorrow." There was a quiet scraping noise as he pushed back his chair and stood up. His gaze settled at her one last time, he nodded and then he was walking out and sliding the door shut behind him.

"Hmm." Kotone propped her head up on her hand, turning to look out the window. "Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought he would be."


	5. Chapter 5

"Can I get one double hamburger and a small chocolate shake?"

"Of course, your total is 4.68, ma'am."

Kotone nodded and handed the cashier a five before collecting her change and picking up her food. She turned and scanned the establishment before deciding to sit in the table closest to the window. She unwrapped her burger and took a bite, savoring her meal. Maji Burger was quickly becoming her fast food of choice. Their burgers were amazing and never disappointed her (though her bathroom scale would say something different).

She had just taken a sip of her shake when she heard a vaguely familiar voice. "Oh, it's you."

She glanced up and almost immediately choked. It was the rude redhead to ran into a week or so ago. Quickly she recovered after a quick coughing fit. She cleared her throat and weakly waved a hand, "Oh, yeah. Hi."

He stared at her for a long minute, expression blank. Long enough that she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable until he finally just sighed and sat down. There was a short pause as he just studied her and she tried to avoid his gaze.

She was the first to cave, "Look, I'm sorry about the other day. I was a little rude to you."

"Yeah, you were." She snapped her head in his direction, glaring now. Okay, she was rude, sure. But would it kill him to just accept her apology and let her dine with a clear conscience?!

"Sorry." She repeated herself bitterly as she turned away and took a bit of her burger.

"What school do you go to?"

Kotone eyed him warily, surprised he was still talking to her. "Rakuzan."

"Really? Why are you all the way over here then? I never see any other people besides Seirin students here." He took a bite of a cheeseburger. It was then that Kotone noticed his tray was filled with burgers, at least ten of them.

She chose to ignore his question, instead she eyed his tray and gave him a look of disbelief, "Are you really gonna eat all of that?!"

"Eh? Yeah." He nodded curtly and big off another chunk. His brow furrowed when she continued to stare at him in disbelief. "What?"

"You're gonna die." She deadpanned.

"Oi! Is that anyway to talk to someone you don't know?!" He snapped, his mouth still full of burger.

Kotone cringed accordingly though she didn't bother to comment on it. "Really though. That can't be healthy."

He just scoffed and settled down a little. Finishing off his burger and unwrapping the next, he replied, "It's fine. I play basketball so I burn it all off anyway."

That caught Kotone's attention. In the past week that she'd been working with Akashi, she'd started to pick up more about basketball when she watched the practice. She studied him for a second. The more she looked the more she realized that he did have the build of a basketball player. Kotone was already tall but still she knew he dwarfed her. He had to be at least six feet tall. And he was fairly muscular with broad shoulders, he had to be an athlete of some sort.

She couldn't help but noticed how different he was from Akashi yet they somehow played the same sport. Akashi with his pale, flawless skin, lean build and agile movements. Although this guy was no doubt bigger and bulkier, there was no doubt in her mind that Akashi was definitely the better player. It had only been two weeks or so that she had been observing practice but even the untrained eye would notice that Akashi was a phenomenal player. She had soon realized why he was captain even though he was only a first year.

"You okay?"

She was snapped back to reality when she realized he was still staring back at her, his expression now one of curiosity.

"I'm fine. You go to Seirin right?" He nodded his affirmation, "Well maybe I'll see a game or something sometime later. I have to go." Kotone took the last sip of her shake and then stood up to go. She tossed him a wave and then she was gone.

Once she was outside she thought about what he had told her, "Seirin, huh? I wonder if they're playing in the Winter Cup too. Well, it's still a few months away anyway…"

~x~

Again, Kotone found herself hanging out inside the gym watching basketball practice after school. Today they were having a scrimmage and although Akashi was sitting out in order to observe their performance, she always found her eyes wandering back to him.

It was moments in the gym like today when she secretly admired him. Arms crossed, heterochromatic gaze focused on the court, he looked like the perfect picture of what a captain should be. Over the past couples weeks she had grudgingly come around to start tolerating the redhead. Sure, it still irritated her that he never failed to beat her test scores but after spending so much time with him she slowly starting forgetting that first impression he left on her the first day they met outside the gym. That side of him had never emerged again after that first encounter. Though, she still felt a touch of wariness around him even if it was quickly fading.

It was surprising but she found that she no longer hated him that much anymore. Spending so much time with him everyday made it tiring, almost impossible to harbor that much hate towards him. It just seemed better to make the best of her situation instead of cursing him for it.

And she had been pretty rude to him too, talking bad about him and such. Looking back, she probably did deserve what she got. Of course, she was still ticked off about the fact he continued to best her in academics but it now seemed a little irrational to hate him because of her own shortcomings. She'd just have to try harder to beat him.

Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, his ruby and gold gaze snapped up to her. Instantly, she felt her cheeks heat up and she hurriedly turned away. She looked down at her notebook and pretended to scribble something in it. By the time she looked up he was already looking back at the court, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

~x~

After practice Kotone, again, found herself alone with Akashi in the club room. Akashi was silently completing the packet questions as usual but Kotone found herself a little distracted. Maybe it was the fact that it was nice and warm outside, and the window was cracked open just a bit allowing a breeze to float in every now and then. Or the fact that this room was so quiet; the sound of pencil on paper was calming to her. More and more she found herself spacing out or just letting her eyes wander around the room. Eventually her eyes drifted to a corner and she noticed a small wooden box there. Upon a little scrutinization, she realized it was a shogi board.

Forgetting to keep the silence, she inquired, "Hey, Akashi, do you play shogi?"

He looked up, his ruby and topaz gaze locking on her. Instantly, she felt a little embarrassed about asking him a question out of the blue like that. But to her surprise, he was pretty forthcoming, "Yes. Every week or so."

Kotone had no idea what came over herself in that moment. Maybe it was the way the sun was pouring through the window, warm on her skin and lulling her into a state of false security. Maybe it was just the fact that she always wanted to learn the play intellectual games like shogi and that desire was just now bubbling to the surface, but Kotone found herself speaking again, "When did you start playing?"

There was a slight silence as Akashi looked up staring back at her. Kotone cleared her throat, suddenly a little embarrassed. She was just about to say never mind when he finally answered.

"I started at age eight."

Kotone nodded, processing this. "Who taught you?"

Akashi glanced up at her, obviously wondering why she was suddenly so talkative. But Kotone couldn't bring herself to care about his scrutinization today, her interest was piqued.

"My father."

Kotone smiled a little, they were actually having a conversation without being at each other's throats. "So when did you start playing basketball then?"

He paused in his writing for a second, thinking, "...I was around five years old, my mother would teach me how to play."

"Eh...no wonder you're so good. You've been playing forever!" Kotone leaned her head on her palm, surprised by this. When he gave her a curious look, she blushed realizing she'd just complimented her rival. "Well, I mean, I don't know that much about basketball so you _look_ good is all I'm saying…"

Akashi gave her a long stare and she flushed slowly when she realized the connotations of what she just said.

"Never mind! Forget I said anything!" She muttered as she ducked her head down. God, she was an idiot.

"You're a very dishonest person." Was all Akashi said as he continued writing, seemingly unperturbed by her embarrassment.

Kotone huffed a little at this, "Not really…"

"You are. You insist on petty competitions and you refuse to admit when you've been bested."

"You haven't even bested me at basketball though! I don't even play!"

"Ah, so you're saying I've bested you at something else. Academics, perhaps. " Akashi was calm, he didn't even sound smug as he said this which, surprisingly, irked her more.

But she calmed herself down quickly, she'd learned her lesson about blowing up at Akashi. Instead, she just grumbled under her breath and started writing. "I'll beat you soon enough."

"Interesting. I'm looking forward to it. However, we are done today." Much to her surprise, Akashi didn't even seem the slightest bit bothered by her declaration of war. He just stood up, gathering his items and headed towards the door.

Just before he left, he turned giving her a curious look over his shoulder. His eyes were slightly wide and just a little bit crazed as he said authoritatively, "Though I warn you. I won't lose."

Guess who Kotone was talking to. ;)


	6. Chapter 6

"Kotone-chan~!"

Kotone stopped, turning to see who was calling out to her. Much to her surprise, it was Mibuchi Reo jogging and waving happily to her.

"Ohayo, Mibuchi-san." Nevertheless, Kotone smiled and greeted him, waving a little as he finally caught up. She didn't quite understand why he took a liking to her but she had been seeing a lot of him lately. Even during basketball practice, sometimes he would come over to where she sat on the bleachers and make small talk with her. After a while, Hayama and Nebuya had started coming over to bother or tease him about being too much of a ladies' man (much to her chagrin). After the past few weeks, she had actually gotten pretty comfortable with the regulars on the team. They were a little more lively than she was used to (after all, she was mostly used to Asa-chan tuning out her whines) but she was starting to get used to their personalities.

"Kotone-chan, you can call me 'Reo' you know? It's a little weird if I call you by your first name but you don't do the same." Reo lightly poked her in the side to get her attention.

"Oh, yeah, Reo-kun." Kotone laughed, lightly swatting his hand away. "What do you need anyway?"

"I wanted to ask-"

"Oi, Reo!" He was interrupted by Nebuya who had abruptly come up behind him and roughly wrapped his arm around Reo's shoulder, grabbing him into a muscle-y side hug. "Ohayo!"

"Eikichi! I told you that hurts!"

"Hey, Reo-nee, Eikichi! Ohayo~" Hayama was next to wrap his arm around Reo's shoulder, only serving to further irritate him. "Ah, ohayo, Kotone-chan~"

Kotone tried to hold in her laugh as she watched the three of them comically fight. Finally, she heard the bell and so she waved a quick goodbye, "I'm going ahead! Bye~"

With that, she slipped into the classroom just in time for the bell.

~x~

Kotone breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the bell. It was finally lunch time. Although school really didn't bother her that much, Yamato-sensei had a way of drawling that made anyone in the vicinity yawn and want to drift off to sleep. While she may have been smart but she was no exception to the rule.

Although a quick glance at Akashi, who sat a few seats behind her, revealed that he seemed to be immune to it. Of course, that was to be expected of her rival. He was damn near perfect after all.

"Ah, I'm so hungry~" Kotone got out of her seat, stretching a little as she made her way to Asagi's desk. She was stopped when she heard a familiar voice calling from outside the door.

"Kotone-chan!" She turned to see it was Reo again, a gentle smile on his face as he leaned into the classroom.

She found this a bit strange because even though she had gotten more comfortable with the male, she shot a glance at Asagi that said 'I have no clue either' and was quickly answered with a shrug and a gesture for her to go ahead anyway. So still got up and made her way to the door, sliding it shut quietly behind her. She turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "What did you need, Reo-kun?"

"I got interrupted this morning. Why don't we go get something to drink while I tell you?"

Kotone glanced back in through the classroom window, quickly meeting eyes with Asagi who waved her on. She nodded and almost involuntarily her eyes focused next on Akashi, who was giving her a steady stare. She had just enough time to wonder what he was thinking before she turned away somewhat embarrassed. What did it matter what he thought anyway?

"Yeah, let's go." She nodded and quickly pulled him down the hall away from the classroom. Though, she knew she was out of sight she still felt a little strange about just leaving like that. Almost as if she had to explain herself. Which she had no obligation to do, and so she brushed the nagging feeling off and went on her merry way.

When they finally found a vending machine, Kotone didn't waste any time choosing her beverage. She always got the same thing, warm green tea.

"You're a tea drinker?"

"Yeah, I love tea. Green tea is my favorite though."

"Hmm, that's weird." Reo hummed to himself as he surveyed his choice in the machine.

"Eh? How so?"

"Well, usually it's grannies that say that kind of thing. You're really spirited so I didn't peg you as a tea drinker at first." He elaborated as he finally made his choice, pushing a button for some kind of soda.

"Hmph...I don't know whether that's a compliment or an insult…" She grumbled as she scooted over to make space for him.

"I mean well~"

"So what were you trying to tell me this morning?"

"Ah, I was going to offer you a proposition." Reo turned towards her, this time a little more serious. "I wanted to suggest that you ask Sei-chan to be the manager."

It took Kotone a minute to first process that he was talking about basketball practice and then another to process exactly what he was asking of her. "Is this a joke or something?" She replied in a flat tone.

"Eh?" Reo seemed surprised, obviously thinking that she would have more of a positive reaction. "Why not? You would be a good fit!"

"Reo I don't know anything about basketball." Kotone scoffed, shaking her head lightly. "These past few weeks are probably the first time I've spent in the gym without it being required."

Reo let out a little laugh at her statement, but still he persisted, "But managers don't need to know much about basketball. All the position really entails is stuff like getting drinks for the team, making sure everyone has a towel, bringing little snacks for the team during training. Stuff that will come easily to someone as intelligent and organized such as yourself."

Kotone felt her resolve crumbling a little at the flattery she received. It had been so long since anyone stroked her ego, "Well, I am pretty intelligent…and organized...actually I'm all around great, hehe~"

Reo resisted the urge to sweatdrop as he watched her shower herself with a few more compliments. But he was close to convincing her so he persisted, "Yeah...you are…"

"Of course I am." She chortled for a few seconds more before she realized what she was doing and awkwardly cleared her throat. She met Reo's gaze head on, much to his surprise, "But what's in it for me is the question."

Reo hummed a little. She was sharp though she acted a bit air-headed at times. She caught onto his intentions easily. "Well, first off it'll probably look better to universities since you aren't currently in an extracurriculars yet."

Kotone mulled this over for a second, before a wicked smirk appeared on her face. "There's gotta be some other reason though."

Reo sighed and finally came clean, "I don't wanna run errands anymore, it's annoying! Why should I have to run errands for Eikichi-kun and Kotaro-kun anyway?!"

Kotone just chuckled, amused by his real motive, "Well...I'll think about it. I would be more worried about Akashi's response if anything."

"That's what I was thinking. But if it's you, I'm sure you can convince Sei-chan." Reo sighed and opened his drink. He took a long gulp seemingly unaware of the accusing look she gave him.

"What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure Akashi-san hates me anyway…and he's so unpredictable..." She grumbled.

"We'll see~" Reo just gave her a slight smile as he got up and threw his finished drink into the nearest trash. "I'll see you at practice, Kotone-chan~"

Kotone ignored his departure, and instead sat still mulling over his proposition. Manager, huh? Well she did like watching their practices, and Reo was right, she needed some extracurriculars under her belt.

It couldn't hurt, right?


	7. Chapter 7

"Kotone-chan! I'm thirsty~!" Kotone sighed and looked up. She was not at all surprised to see Hayama making his way over to her seat on the bleachers, a big grin on his face as usual. "Did you buy the waters I asked for~?"

Kotone nodded and reached into her bag pulling out a bottle of cold water and handing it to him. Much to her chagrin, Hayama just grabbed the bottle, opened it and started chugging.

"Wow, thanks Kotone-chan. You're great…" She sighed, underhandedly trying to get Hayama to thank her. Though the person in question just laughed and continued to drink his water.

Kotone was not at all bothered when Reo and Nebuya eventually wandered over in search of their drinks and started bickering with each other as per usual. It had been a few days since Reo had suggested that she become the manager. Although she hadn't accepted the proposition or even mentioned it to Akashi, she was starting to feel like she was. It had started with Reo giving her money to get him water while they practiced. Pretty soon Nebuya and Hayama had picked up the habit too. By now it felt like almost second nature for her to do so.

By now she was more seriously considering asking Akashi about becoming the manager. As of now, she practically was. The redhead hadn't said anything about the behavior of his players and even now as Kotone watched him he didn't seem to be fazed by the occurrence. He was just casually making shots from the free throw line even though it was still break time.

More and more watching them play basketball began to interest her. Especially when Akashi actually joined in instead of observing and critiquing from the side. By now she was watched long enough that she had picked up on all the various rules and fouls of the game. Not only that but she was getting a full appreciation for how good Akashi actually was. The other players were all hesitant to play with him if not flat out scared. Even Kotone could tell he was a formidable opponent. Grudgingly, she could admit he was truly extraordinary.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Reo waving a hand in front of her face. "What?" She lazily swatted his hand away before turning away from the court.

"Do you see something particularly interesting, Kotone-chan?" Kotone's face flushed a little bit. Although Reo was smiling angelically she knew exactly what he was insinuating.

"Not really." She muttered as she ducked her head and ignored the muffled peals of laughter coming from the regulars. Jesus, they were perceptive.

~x~

"Akashi-san, I did the last of page 16." Kotone slid her sheet over to Akashi and turned to stare out the window while he checked over the answers.

"Good." As usual, Kotone felt that twinge of satisfaction she always did when Akashi admitted her work was good, "So we've finished."

Kotone looked up, blinking back at him at this information, "What?"

"We have finished." Akashi glanced at her as he quietly pushed his chair back, "We only have the class discussion left."

Kotone quickly shuffled through the packet on her desk. He was right; every page of the packet had been completed. They were finally done with the packet. They were done with this crappy project that had taken a whopping month just to finish all the preparations for the discussion.

Kotone knew she should feel excited -exhilarated even - but she felt none of that. In fact as she watched Akashi pick up his things, cast her one last glance and start out the door, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Somewhere in the last month she had grown too accustomed to these quiet times after school. She hadn't really noticed until just now but she'd started to like, even look forward to, the quiet moments together. Though they didn't talk all that much, she didn't want it to end.

"Wait, Akashi-san!"

Kotone stood up quickly, the desk clattered as her legs slammed into it. But that wasn't her concern, what she was focused on was the red head turning to face her in the doorway. He had an impassive look on his face as always, almost as if he was expecting this to happen. She flushed slightly under that stare, it was as if he could see through her.

"What is it?"

Kotone opened her mouth to speak but closed it after she realized she didn't know what to say. She thought quickly, searching for something to keep him from leaving for the time being.

Suddenly, Reo's offer popped into her head. Right now as she had his full attention, this seemed the right time to speak up.

After a second she steeled her resolve and spoke, "I want to be the manager for the basketball team."

There was silence for a second as Akashi raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised by this news.

"Why?" Was his first question much to her surprise.

"Well, I was talking to Reo and he was saying he was tired of Hayama-san and Nebuya-san's pickiness. And I don't really mind that much, so I thought…" She trailed off, suddenly unsure if this is the right answer.

"Is that all?" Akashi's low voice prompted her to continue.

She sighed, and glanced anywhere but at him, "And also, I like watching practice. It's fun to see you guys play so I'd like to continue."

Akashi nodded at this, "That's acceptable. You can have the position."

"Eh?!" Kotone gaped at how easy it was to convince him. "That easily?"

"You have your freedom. If you want to pursue something then I won't stop you." Akashi leaned against the door, "However, there's a condition."

Kotone narrowed her eyes, a little wary now. "What is it?"

Akashi casually walked towards her, she backed up a little when he finally reached her. His eyes were slightly wide, almost crazed as he spoke. "You must complete every task to satisfaction. Or I will remove you from the team."

Kotone flinched a little at the severity in his voice, still she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Especially not one posed by Akashi. She would do it. And she would give him no reason to doubt her competence ever again.

"Deal."


End file.
